Always in Season
by Cardboard Edward
Summary: Christmasses are never boring when your best friend is a skeleton. Friendshippy Valkyrie/Skulduggery drabbles.
1. Chapter 1

Decided to upload this little collection of Christmassy fic for a friend. Happy holidays, everyone.

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><p><strong>twelve<strong>

_Say, lend me your coat._

There was someone tapping on Valkyrie's window. It was the irritating, consistent noise, one that tore you out of sleep and refused to give you back.

"I swear to God," the twelve year old muttered to herself, throwing the sheets off her head, "if that's anyone other than Santa Clause, I'm punching them in the face."

She'd punch the old man too, except she wasn't really eager for coal. Just the year before, the idea was laughable at best, but she was being extra careful, after Skulduggery had vaguely hinted that the man was a particularly ancient Adept.

She swung herself out of bed and yawned, putting her bare feet into black fuzzy slippers. Eleven on Christmas Eve was a new low for her partner of six months. Looking out of her window, she could see his black hat contrasting against the snow. She rubbed her eyes, trying to make her brain believe this was all a dream and she could go back to bed. Frowning, she yawned again, louder, and decided to just ignore him and call him tomorrow. She pressed her face against the window, to catch his gaze and say, all too clearly, "No way."

But there was a box next to him.

Wait. Was he giving her a Christmas Present?

Suddenly eager, Valkyrie undid the window's latch and pushed herself up by her arms, swinging herself onto the ledge. To be completely honest, she hadn't gotten him anything. Her legs dangled, the fleece pants and slippers nowhere near as effective as her black clothes. She hoped he didn't mind the lack of gift. Or retract her present. She was hit by a blast of cold air, and she used the gust to take herself down to Skulduggery. It was a clumsy and slow descent, but at least she hadn't crashed in the snow.

"H-h-hey," she stuttered, arms wrapped around her self. Goosebumps prickled up her forearms. Skulduggery stared at her, skull pointed down.

"Why, exactly, do your pants have snakes on them?" His smooth voice gave no sign of being effected by the chill.

"It's a H-h-Harry Potter thing," Her teeth chattered. "C-ca-can you just give me my p-present?"

He glanced at the box, then back at her. "It's not for you. And besides, it's still Christmas Eve."

"S-so?"

"Giving Christmas presents before the Twenty Fifth is nonsensical." He adjusted his hat with gloved hands. Valkyrie wished she had gloves. She thought her fingers were turning purple, though she could barely see them in the dim light.

"W-why are you d-dragging me out of bed on C-C-Christmas Eve, then?" She glared at him, arms forming tight armor over her torso.

"There's a man we need to interview. He'll only be in town for a few hours. It won't take long, but we'll need to hurry."

Skulduggery picked up the box, and started walking towards the Bentley.

He stopped when he realized she wasn't following.

"Why aren't you moving?"

"I think I'm stuck," She enunciated slowly.

Skulduggery sighed. "You are vastly exaggerating," he said, returning to her side. "But you getting frostbite would jeopardize this whole mission." Her took off his tan overcoat and suit jacket, swinging both around to rest on her shoulders. She snuggled into them gratefully. The suit jacket was lined on the inside, nice and warm, and the sleeves of the overcoat covered her hands entirely.

"Better," she said. "But my nose is still about to fall off."

He stared at her, letting her to imagine his less than pleased expression. But he pulled off his scarf anyways, wrapping it around the upper part of her face.

"You should just sleep in Ghastly's clothes," he said, pushing a strand of blackish-brown hair off her face. "Then I won't have to wait for you to change, either."

"No way," she said, voice muffled by the scarf. "Especially when I can just steal yours. It's not like you need them."

"I do too. I hope you know you may have cost us the interview, now that we both look unprofessional."

"You still have your hat." She muttered. "…Although," Valkyrie blinked up at him, "My ears are cold."

"No."

"My ears falling off means I won't be able to listen to your wonderful lectures and boasts."

"No means no," he said, and started walking towards the Bentley. Valkyrie grinned behind the grey scarf.

Later that evening, a somewhat baffled Erik Serendipity sat across from his interviewers, an underdressed skeleton and a young teenage girl wearing a suit jacket and Slytherin pajama pants.

And, at precisely midnight, he watched as the detective opened the box he had been toting all evening.

"Surprise. It _is_ your present."


	2. Chapter 2

**thirteen**

_Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow_

"Look at all this snow!" The words came out in an awed hush, and her breath clouded in the air. Next to her was a tall and skinny man, peculiar in the fact he let out no air while he spoke.

"It's cold, and it's white, and it is frozen water. I don't see how it's any less irritating from any-"

"Sssh." His partner dismissed him, as she stomped around in her onyx boots. Valkyrie considered falling to the ground and making a snow angel, but Skulduggery would probably give her one of his _looks. _(His skull angled down to gaze at her, the brim of his hat obscuring his eye sockets, the set of his jaw telling her he was not pleased.)

So instead, she kneeled on the ground, still bewildered by the fact she couldn't feel any chill, a feat that normally demanded four layers of clothing. It was late December, and the magical world had been alarming quiet as of late. Valkyrie even had enough free time to pick up Christmas presents. (Skulduggery was getting a mug. He could keep pencils in it, right? … She hadn't been able to think of anything else.)

She dug into the snow, gloves saving her from the horrible feeling of snow under her nails. (They were regular ones, due to Ghastly still being an oversized rock.) She grouped together a misshapen ball of snow, and held it in her hand. She turned to Skulduggery.

"Don't you _dare_."

She grinned widely, cheeks red and eyes shining, "Why not?"

"Because you will lose this battle, Valkyrie Cain," said Skulduggery solemnly.

"Do you think I could get this snowball into your eye socket?" She teased gently. He said nothing, just glowered at her.

"Kidding, kidding." She dropped the snowball back on the ground, and started rolling it forward, pushing her hair behind her pink ears. (She hated earmuffs.) The thirteen year old felt Skulduggery's gaze on her as she slowly worked on the snowman, getting it to a reasonable size in a few minutes.

"There!" She said, brushing away a few escaping strands of her hair from her forehead. "See? Harmless."

"Impressive."

"Uh huh."

"But…"

"But?"

"I can do better." He raised both of his hands, and a long sheet of snow rose from the ground. He shaped it, hands moving like a conductors', forming a huge snowball in seconds. It floated off the ground, just above Valkyrie's head as she kneeled. He followed it up with a second, and lifted it onto the first without touching it.

"There. Can I use the one you made for its head?" She nodded, in quiet awe. As it moved, he reshaped it to a perfect sphere.

She looked up at the snow creation, hand on her jaw in thought. "Needs a face."

"I don't have a face. I don't see why it needs one."

"Yes, but not many snow people can pull that off. It needs a hat, too." She glanced at him.

"No."

"Oh, c'mon. For five minutes."

"It is _my _snowman, Valkyrie."

"Well, I made the head. And I think it needs a hat." She stomped towards him, arms out. "Give it here." She kept her hands out in front of her, and tried to imitate Skulduggery. Hands out, finger splayed, lifting slowly, urging the ice to pack together as neatly as it did for him.

Instead of snow, regular water rose instead. She scowled at it. "Why didn't it work?"

"Maybe if you worked on your water magic more…"

In response, she flung the entirety of the risen water at him, and it hit his bones with a loud splash. He stood there, arms at his sides, soaked from skull to toe bones.

He was still and silent for a long moment. Valkyrie managed a serious face for about a minute before bursting out into a giggle fit. "You should have just given me your hat."

In response, he hit her with a horrendously cold wave of water, hitting her face and finding every uncovered spot on her body. She screeched, shaking herself off like a dog, and then laughing again.

"It is _on_, Skulduggery!"


End file.
